What a card: Hailey so proud as Juncker reads her 'thank you'

Hailey Kierse, from Killiney with a photograph of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Jean Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, looking at the Thank You card Hailey sent to him. Photo: Damien Eagers

A Dublin woman who sent a 'thank you' card to the president of the European Commission for defending Irish interests said she has never felt so proud after a photo emerged of him reading it.

Hailey Keirse (38), from Killiney, in south Dublin, sent the card to Jean-Claude Juncker when he refused to remove the backstop from the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement.

She feared Ireland would become a "whipping boy", and the Good Friday Agreement would be at risk if the backstop was to be amended.

"Then I had the television on the next day when the EU said it was not up for negotiation and Jean-Claude Juncker stood up and said five words, he said 'Ireland's borders are the EU's borders'," she said.

"We're just a small country but those words made it look mighty."

She then decided to send a card directly to Mr Juncker after googling his address.

A photo has since emerged of Mr Juncker reading the card alongside Taoiseach Leo Varadkar - and Ms Keirse delighted people listening to Joe Duffy's 'Liveline' programme where she told her story.

"I had intended to send one to Leo Varadkar as well but it costs €11 and I'm ashamed to say I didn't have the money spare so I just sent it to Juncker. I'm not political, I'm not from a political party, I couldn't even say if I am for Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil or Labour," she said.